Clare County Council consultants have completed investigations at Latoon Creek Bridge, which has been the subject of a weight restriction since late 2015.
The local authority said it anticipates that repair work to the bridge, which is located between Newmarket-on-Fergus and Clarecastle on the old Ennis/Limerick road, will begin next month and will be completed during November.
Tom Tiernan, senior engineer, Clare County Council explained, “Due to the complex nature of the construction of the bridge, specialist contractors with experience in investigation of similar structures conducted additional structural investigations, load assessments and sensitivity analysis. The result of their investigations, recently completed, is that the 3.5-tonne weight restriction can now be eased to 18 tonnes. This amended restriction, however, must remain in place until the repairs are carried out.”
“The new restriction will be less onerous than that which has existed up to now,” he added. “From today (Monday) vehicles of up to 18 tonnes will be free to use the bridge but those above 18 tonnes such as articulated vehicles, other vehicles facilitated by more that 2 axles, some buses and coaches must not at any time do so because of the associated structural and safety risks.”
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.